Tag Archive: The Dark Knight Rises

The villain count for this movie is really starting to rise. We know Bane and Catwoman are in it. We know Liam Neeson’s Ra’s Al Ghul will at least be in a flash back. Now more rumors of other villains keep popping up around the internet. Insiders claim that Scarecrow has been seen on one of the sets. This wouldn’t surprise me Cillian Murphy did a great job in Batman Begins with the limited screen time he had. Then his one scene at the beginning of The Dark Knight really helped the film feel like a comic book movie. My question is would Scarecrow have a major part in the plot or again would just have a cameo? This is Nolan’s last Batman film and so throwing everything into the pot would make sense. It also seems clear that in the movie Bane looks like he wants to destroy the entire city. Why not get help from other super villains. Other rumors have said that another villain could show up. Now these are not as clear as the Scarecrow reports. The rumors have been all over the place, from Calender Man, which that one doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I’ve also read that Two-Face would come back. Now I like the idea of that. My only problem with The Dark Knight… (SPOILERS)… I never liked that Two-Face died from the fall at the end. That didn’t work for me. So if they could go back and have it that they simply placed Two-Face in Arkham, I’d like that idea. But I have to admit if all of these characters are in the movie… Well Batman might only have like five minutes of screen time. So will see what happens.

So as filming continues in Pittsburgh for The Dark Knight Rises it seems more of the plot is getting revealed… I don’t plan to discuss that here. We all know Bane and the League of Shadows will be a major conflict in the film. We know Anne Hathaway will play Catwoman. But as pictures are flowing from the set and small plot details are leaked, bigger rumors continue to flow. Now to make it clear these are rumors and nothing is confirmed. But it seems Bane busts several people out of prison to create an army of sorts to destroy Gotham. Rumors are circulating that there will be references and possible appearances by the Joker and Two-Face. Now Nolan has made it clear no new actor would play the Joker. So I assume he will be referenced to off hand and never really seen. The idea of seeing Two Face again though is exciting. For me I never really liked how Dent went down in The Dark Knight. SPOILER…. At the end when Batman tackles him off the ledge I didn’t really believe the fall would have killed him. Also in the comics they pulled this trick a number of times, thinking that Two Face was dead but it turned out he wasn’t. For me I thought it would be interesting if Gordon locked Dent away in Arkham so he could be a symbol. Then if Bane broke him out he could use him to destroy to morale of the city. Again I doubt either of these things are true. Maybe a Joker reference could work but bringing in Two Face might be too much in an already stuffed film.

Batman is hands down one of the most popular comic book characters and most popular pop culture icon. As Nolan works on his final piece of his Batman film the studio is already planning on future films. The studio basically plans on rebooting the franchise but threw out this “But Nolan will watch over the project”. That is nonsense, even if Nolan produces his presence will be minimal. I think rebooting the franchise after Dark Knight Rises is frankly a horrible idea. I know many are waiting to see how the Spider-man reboot will do domestically. Are people ready for reboots of franchises that ended only a couple years ago? Personally I think reboots are stupid ad pointless. I prefer sequels like what they did with Tron. Rebooting Batman might mean we have to sit through another origin story. Batman Begins worked because frankly on film we never really saw Bruce Wayne’s origin. Now that we have and Begins is a film a lot of people remember, why would you reboot? Why not just make sequels of Nolan’s films. Just small tweaks like adding a science fiction element which would allow many more of Batman’s rogue gallery to be seen on film. I think it’s very possible to have Nolan’s “real world” gritty vibe mixed with comic book science fiction. I’d like to see Clayface, Mr. Freeze or Poison Ivy with a darker tone. So come on WB don’t reboot! Give us characters we haven’t seen before. I feel like this movie is a cop out just to bring The Joker out again on screen.

As Nolan prepares to make his third and final film of his Batman franchise, rumors are flying around epically. What we know is that Anne Hathaway is playing Selina Kyle and possibly Catwoman. We know Tom Hardy is going to play Bane. That is perfect in my eyes really and I’m glad they will do a dark and serious Bane. The last time we saw that character on screen was in Batman and Robin where he was basically a giant monster that could only say one word occasionally like “Bomb!”. Now though a range of characters are being mentioned and names attached to those characters are flying. First we have a rumor that Ra’s Al Ghul daughter and the League of Shadows will return. Then it was reported that Joseph Gordon Levitt would play Alberto Falcone which would set up a number of story lines from the comics. Then suddenly the report was shot down and the rumor is that Levitt will play Hugo Strange. That is funny because before Nolan confirmed it, many believed Tom Hardy was going to play Strange.

The real question now the Levitt is confirmed to be in the film one possibility is that he could play the Joker. He could work really well as that character. There might not be enough room for the Joker in the third film. Frankly his story line in the Nolan universe is pretty much over. Batman did ruin his ultimate plan and proved humanity can win even in the face of absolute chaos. Joker lead to Dent becoming Two Face and then Batman took the blame. That story line is over. Now this is about Batman redeeming himself and most likely trying to protect his identity. It’s almost a shame Levitt is in the Dark Knight Rises because you know even after Nolan there will be more Batman films and I think Levitt would be a good Joker for the future.

Now that things are speeding up towards the filming of Nolan’s third Batman film the rumors keep flying. A huge rumor is that the lead villain actually won’t be Bane or Catwoman, but it would be Talia Al Ghul, the daughter of Ras Al Ghul who Neeson played in Batman Begins. It would make sense for the League of Shadows would return for Nolan’s last Batman film, it would wrap his story up nicely. So of course many fans were wondering if Neeson would return as Ras for a final show down with Bats. On many chat boards nerds have debated if Ras died in Batman Begins. Sure we watched as the train he was on fall off the tracks and crash into the ground, but many say you can see him leap from the train before it crashes. Also the character in the comic cheated death a number of times so many thought he would return. Well Neeson in an interview claimed he has not been approached to return, doesn’t mean he won’t, but I doubt Nolan would break his trend of keeping things somewhat based in the real world. Ras’s return would only happen if another man came up claiming to be him, since in Begins Ras claims many have taken the name to be leader of the Shadows.

Nolan has made statements that after The Dark Knight Rises he plans to make a Howard Hughes biopic. He originally wanted to make one years ago until Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator came out. Then he moves on but since it’s been a little while since that movie came out he’s jumping back on to the project. This news makes me shrug because after the next Batman film I was hoping he’d stick with science fiction, or for some reason I really wanted him to do a noir cop film. Another Howard Hughes movie would feel very been there, done that. Even though Nolan claims his film would be based on a book that focused on Hughes later years in life when his paranoia and odd actions were at there prime. The Aviator focused on Hughes’s early years in film making and life in general and only lightly focused on the days where he would sit in a room and pee into jars. Still kind of a let down to know Nolan’s focus will only be on another Hughes movie.

With Henry Cavill locked in as Super Man the rest of the domino’s are starting to fall. Casting for Lois Lane as now being rumored. Lois Lane might be the best female character in the comics, she is very iconic, mainly because she as a character is not a damsel in distress. Kate Bosworth played Lois in Superman Returns and her performance was alright but she just looked all wrong. So getting her right is almost bigger than get Super Man right. It looks like the list has been slimmed down to five names:

1. Jessica Biel, said to be one of the leading contender for the role. The woman does know how to handle action with roles in A-Team and Blade Trinity. My only problem is she almost seems too bad ass to be Lois. Now this could work if the screen play asks for it. Just like Bosworth though I’m sure Biel would give a great performance but would just look all wrong for the part. Don’t get me wrong if she gets it I won’t be fuming.

2. Dianna Agron, first off this girls name is intense. If you don’t know her she is the head cheer leader on Glee. She has a major role in the film I am Number Four coming out this month. I guess her name is being tossed around for a number of projects. I think she’s talented and does a fine job on Glee. My only problem is she seems just too young for the role of Lois Lane. Also I just can’t see her doing it. Picture her as Luis with dark hair, it just don’t work.

3. Malin Akerman, now I don’t know what to think about her. Her energy could actually work for the character but I really believe her name is here because she’s worked with Zack Snyder before on Watchmen. The only problem is she is older than Cavill and the age difference might be too obvious.

4. Kristen Stewart, NO! I get why she is in this list… The producers want teen females to go see Super Man. Since they couldn’t get either dudes from Twilight in the film they want her. She is anti-Lois Lane. Her emo quiet performances would not work for Lois Lane. I get what they are thinking here but besides Stewart just being way too young for the part.

5. Rachel McAdams, yes, I’m sure she already has the part. This woman is one of the best actresses around and would just be perfect for the role. Christopher Nolan has always liked her and rumor is she was second behind Anne Hathaway for the Selina Kyle role in the The Dark Knight Rises. Could be greta for us because this leaves her open to play Lois Lane which would be amazing for all of us.

It’s been slow in movie news (besides Superman) so I decided to put the debate in place that is it possible Tom Hardy’s Bane and Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman can impress audiences after Heath Ledger’s Joker? Now to be clear it hasn’t been confirmed Hathaway will actually be Catwoman. She’s playing Selina Kyle officially. Now with Nolan behind the camera I have total faith. Batman Begins in my opinion had great villains. Scarecrow was done very well in the most realistic way possible and I loved Liam Neeson’s Ras Al Guhl. Heath Ledger’s Joker though in the Dark Knight scared the shit out of people. He was something everyone feared, a man who first off doesn’t care about his own life, yet all he wants to do is kill and create chaos. His character was everything that scares us about terrorism. Ledger’s performance was a home run and the ending was perfect between him and Batman.

Tom Hardy is a great actor, most audiences know him from his charming character in Inception. Go rent or buy the film Bronson and see what this guy can do. He is perfect for Bane. A lot of people rolled their eyes at the thought of Bane being in the movie but that’s because they remember the character from Batman and Robin. They portrayed him as a one note monster, just repeating lines and sounding like Frankenstein. In the comics Bane was a beast but also very smart and had a boner to hunt down Batman. In the comics he broke Batman’s freaking back! With Hardy and a true version of the character, Bane should be a stand out villain for the franchise.

Anne Hathaway is just one of the best actresses out there hands down. A brilliant female villain is just necessary for the franchise. Rachel Dawes was the only female character in the first two films. Sure she was more important to the plot in the second movie, but over all her character did not have a lot of screen time. Selina Kyle is a fantastic character and Catwoman is a balancing force for Batman. Nolan could make this work. I still feel like Catwoman won’t show up in The Dark Knight Rises, I think it’s a fake, but will see.

Comparing these characters to the Joker is pointless. His character is hard not to enjoy, a villain who doesn’t care and just does whatever he wants is just plain fun to watch. Bane and Catwoman are not like this. They are not about chaos. Bane is about power. Catwoman is straight about sex and lust. I feel bad for Hardy and Hathaway because they will be judged by Ledger’s performance. The comparison will be unfair and unavoidable though. I feel like Nolan picked these villains for a reason. They are the exact opposite of the Joker. Many thought the next baddie would be the Riddler. That character is just too similar to the Joker, as our many bad guys. Also the Joker is not a physical match for Batman, in the film he needed hostages, henchmen and dogs to even slow Batman down. Bane is stronger and better than Batman in every way. This isn’t about fighting random chaos his is about stopping fury that is coming right at you. So sure will people say “Not as good as the Joker”, you bet they will. Still look at the villain choices through the three films and what they will represent and I think most will be very impressed and satisfied.

Now that it is confirmed that Anne Hathaway is playing Selina Kyle the next big topic is will she actually be Catwoman? The film Batman Returns which came out in 1994 had to date the best incarnation of the character. Then sadly Halle Barry tried to make a franchise out of it and the movie was just terrible. They tried to make her “hip” and the costume was insane. They also had trouble dealing with the fact that Catwoman was designed to be a villain. So they had her robbing places for the better of man kind… They also had Sharon Stone playing an evil woman who by using too much make up or something made her skin into stone… Yeah the movie was horrible. Then when Nolan took over Batman and made two very serious and dark Batman tales many wrote off that she would be attempted. Now that has changed but should she be used? In a film that will have Bane in it is a woman running around in leather a good idea? To me it is a perfect idea. In a world where men run around in costume or terrorize cities in face paint, wouldn’t a woman eventually get into a costume to make a point? I believe Nolan will make the character work within in the world he’s designed. I think a lot of fans have too many images of Catwoman from the Halle Barry movie and Batman Return and think a serious rendition of the character can be done. I disagree, think of a woman simply doing what Batman does. My problem is I can’t really think of how Catwoman would be involved in the plot they have formed for the third film. Batman is on the run from the police. The mob has basically been destroyed, someone obviously calls in Bane to finish Batman off. Where does Catwoman come in on all of this? I can’t really think of any reason for the character to show up rather to cause trouble for Batman. Any thoughts?